Governors Ball Gets Off to a Wet Start

Published June 8, 2013•Updated on June 8, 2013 at 1:24 pm

Day one of the third annual Governors Ball encounters foul weather as cold rain and mud forced the festival to cancel the headliners

20 photos

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Michel Dussack
Day one of the third annual Governors Ball encounters foul weather as cold rain and mud force the festival to cancel the headliners. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Canada based Bear Mountain kicked things off with an upbeat set that had everyone dancing. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Bear Mountain also played at the one stage that is inside a tent, meaning they had the largest crowd out of the earlier bands to play. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Next up was Reignwolf, who managed to play guitar, bass drum and sing all at the same time. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
While most artists avoided the rain on stage, Reignwolf frequently came to the edge of the stage in the rain to get the audience fired up. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Indie band Polica were up next, and continued the dancey vibes that seemed to be a recurring theme of the day. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
While Polica didn't bring anything new to their performance, it was still incredibly fun. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Dinosaur Jr. hit the main stage for the heaviest set of the day. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
The groups signature distortion seemed to cut through the rain and mud more effectively than the upbeat dance bands could. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Their set also saw numerous fans in the crowd put on wigs that resembled vocalist and guitarist J Mascis' signature hair. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
California surf pop band Best Coast did their best to make the day feel sunny, but it was hard to ignore the rain getting harder and colder. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
At this point, the rain had started to come down hard, and the festival grounds were reduced to rivers and fields of mud. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
During their set, Best Coast admired the audience's dedication, noting that they wouldn't be able to stand out in the rain like fans were. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Icelandic folk band Of Monsters and Men continued their massive success off their debut album, and drew one of the largest crowds of the day. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
The upbeat acoustic guitars and singalongs worked well and seemed to make everyone forget how cold they were, if only for a bit. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Nearly every person on stage with the band provided vocals to some extent. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Local Natives were forced to perform further back on stage and with tarps over their equipment to prevent anything from being damaged. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
During their set, it seemed that the rain had finally relented, and people's spirits began to lift. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
Unfortunately, by the time their set finished, the rain had started up again, and was only going to get worse. Photos by Michel Dussack

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Michel Dussack
By the time Feist went on, the rain was falling very hard, and the singer was forced to leave the stage after one song when the rain fried a piece of her equipment. Photos by Michel Dussack